


Lonely

by sxetia



Series: Heiress to the Monado [3]
Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: Character Study, Drabble, Gen, Roleswap, fiora is the heir to the monado
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:07:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25102888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sxetia/pseuds/sxetia
Summary: Friends at rest means Fiora is left alone with her thoughts.
Series: Heiress to the Monado [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1819117
Comments: 7
Kudos: 31





	Lonely

Nobody could possibly understand. 

Fiora had never been much of one for sleep, not as long as she could remember — but even if she was a heavy sleeper she doubted she would have gotten much rest on a night like the one she was enduring. She dreaded the long patches of night where she would be left alone to her own devices, without a friendly face to distract her from the thoughts burdening her or a conversation to occupy her mouth and ears. 

There wouldn’t be any point talking about what the others simply wouldn’t _understand,_ so she would simply hide it away and bury it underneath the veneer of everybody else’s prerogatives. Socially submissive, rarely one to direct conversation — ironic that she ended up being the de facto leader of their little group, then, though she left much of the talking to Reyn. 

Reyn was asleep, as was Dunban and Sharla. Nothing to comfort her or keep her company but the bubbling of the swamps around her... and the Monado. 

She reached out to touch it and immediately felt the burning vigor of its energy course through her, then squeezed it tightly as she lifted it up out in front of her. It was almost as tall as she was, and that was _without_ its blade activated. The sword was cursed, so Dunban insisted — and Fiora had a hard time disagreeing, what with the visions and the havoc it wrought on her brother’s body. 

Yet it was her sole comfort in times like these. The Monado empowered her, gave her strength, and provided guidance where nobody else could. She was useless without it; what good was a simple weakling with a knack for cooking in the face of the Mechon threat? 

Fiora squeezed, and the Monado growled to life. The bright cyan of its blade illuminated her body and made her squint as her eyes adjusted, and she felt a distinct warmth begin to course through the grip as the cold steel heated up. Shulk had always theorized it was a side effect of the Ether being manipulated within, but he didn’t know for sure. 

And he never would. 

The Monado closed and deactivated, but the warmth remained. Fiora wrapped both arms around it and huddled it against her chest and cheek to siphon all the head it could offer, and shut her eyes so that she could pretend it was the comforting embrace of a warm body. 

She wished Shulk was there, but if he were alive she would have no reason to be away from home in the first place.


End file.
